Best Airport to Fly Into for Access to Midtown

The key is to avoid traffic, get there quickly, and at a decent price. I previously would have answered JFK - as the Airtrain from John F. Kennedy International Airport brings you, on the E train, right to midtown.  Cost: $5 Airtrain and $2.75 for subway.  But now, there is also a fast way to get downtown from LaGuardia Airport too.  The Q70 is a public bus, that runs express right from the airport to a subway stop in Jackson Heights (New York) where you can take a number of subways, including the same E train as mentioned above.  Cost $2.75.  I wrote a blog post on it.    http://willrunformiles.boardingarea.com/new-q70-bus-fast-convenient-nyc-lga/#sthash.nu5O4rUS.dpbs

From LaGuardia Airport you would have to take a cab or a shuttle bus.

From John F. Kennedy International Airport you can take the express subway (E Train) or the LIRR straight to Penn Station 34th street.

So really it depends on the time of day, if it's during rush hour I would definitely do JFK and take the train. But I wouldn't take a cab from JFK during rush hour. 

Newark Liberty International Airport is actually pretty easy as well, you can take the Airtran to NJ transit Newark Airport station, a 20 minute train will also get you into Penn Station.

Hope that helps! honestly I think they are all about the same but would do JFK or EWR to Penn Station. 

Hi Jake- Technically you can get from all 3 airports to Midtown on public transit, it's just with varying degrees of difficulty.

The easiest is from EWR, you take the airport shuttle to the train and then the train takes you directly the Penn Station which is only a few blocks from your friends place.

From JFK it takes 2 trains, the first into Jamaica, Queens and then transfer to a train to take you into Manhattan.

LaGuardia is the most difficult, involving a bus and at least one, sometimes two trains, depending on the time of day. Also, because the bus isn't avoidable taking public transportation from LGA is subject to traffic.

Hope this helps!

The closest and cheapest cab ride would be from LaGuardia Airport. John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport are about the same distance from the city give or take. You can take the train easily from Newark and JFK to the city. Taking a cab is really not that bad though. You can always look into the Blue Shuttle service which is about $40/person.

I would personally fly into John F. Kennedy International Airport. Newark Liberty International Airport is regularly more expensive for flights than the other two airports.  LaGuardia Airport has few flights and is the first to have disruption. LGA is also harder to get into and out of via Public transportation. I would take the Airtrain from the terminal and jump on the E train right to 34th street.  It's simple and easy.  I take the E or A training depending on whether I am at work or at home all the time with no issue.

From LaGuardia Airport - $2.50 - Take the Q70 bus straight to the 74th Street/Roosevelt Avenue train station, free transfer to the E, F, M, R and 7 lines which will take you to Midtown

From John F. Kennedy International Airport - $7.50 - Take the Airtrain ($5) to Jamaica Center station, take the E train to Midtown ($2.50)

I'm surprised so many New Yorkers are suggesting JFK.  I avoid it like the plague as it's much further out than Newark or LGA and train/transfer thing is long and tedious compared to EWR.  If you want to take public transport and/or your friend is on the west side, fly into Newark--close, fast and simple transport into Penn Station.  East side or taking a cab, go to LGA.   Yes, technically you can bus it from LGA, but bring a lunch, a six pack and four magazines because it will creep along with traffic and stops. The only time JFK is handy is if flying JetBlue or abroad.

Your friend lives in a spot convenient to both Newark Liberty International Airport  and John F. Kennedy International Airport. From JFK, you can take the Airtrain to the E or the A (although the E is faster) and take that to 34th St. Penn Station. Expect the ride to be about 35-45 mins, a little longer if you take the A. 

From EWR, take the NJ Transit train to Penn Station. The trains run on a pretty regular schedule from the Newark Airport stop.

JFK will probably be the cheapest ($5 airtrain + subway fare) and EWR will probably be fastest (and not too expensive, I think it might be in the neighborhood of $15?).

Even if you could shell out for a cab, I wouldn't recommend it, unless you're landing really late. I prefer mass transit all the way (if you have light luggage).

LaGuardia Airport, in my opinion, not convenient via mass transit because only a bus goes there.

Good luck! 

If you don't want to take a cab, John F. Kennedy International Airport is basically your best bet. Though I believe LaGuardia Airport has a bus to/from Midtown.

LaGuardia Airport is really nearby and if you arrive during non-rush hour, the cab is very affordable and it's a quick trip.

If you are against taking a cab, I would fly into John F. Kennedy International Airport and take the blue A train to Penn Station Should be right where you're going. 

Distance wise, the closest airport is LaGuardia, then JFK then Newark.  I flew into / out of Newark once about ten years ago and never did it again.  Seriously, it's a world of hurt. 

Taking mass transit (air train, subway, etc) is going to make your trip to/from the airport at least three times as long.  If you really want to save a few bucks on ground transport, take the NYC Airport Shuttle [http://www.nycairporter.com/].  It's cheaper than a taxi but will take a significantly less amount of time than taking subways and trains.

From JFK, you can take the air train to the E then to 8th Ave and 34th. From Newark, you can take the air train which goes to Penn Station at 8th and 34th. Laguardia is not well served by public transport.

It is so much easier to get into Manhattan from LaGuardia Airport than JFK. 

Sometimes air fare can vary by hundreds of $ among the three major NYC airports. I doubt you want to spend extra in order to save cab fare. Make sure you are at rock bottom on your flight and check SW, which is not included in aggregators. I can usually get from SFO to NYC and return for $300. With patience it can be done. Once you have your really cheap airfare, splurge on a shared hotel shuttle.

LaGuardia Airport 

JFK